Glover Teixeira, haters, fueling Dominique Robinson's push for one break

Nine years into his dream of making it to the UFC, Dominique Robinson was ready to walk away. After all, the sport that had given him everything – had been his everything – had also taken it all away.

“I learned a lot about this sport in the past year,” Robinson told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “You could put it that way.

“I used to do this sport because I loved it, but recently I was thinking of quitting.”

Robinson’s official professional record is listed at a pedestrian 7-4-2. At 31, he says he should have another 10 wins listed on his resume, but he’s struggled to get the major databases to recognize those missing victories, which came at events with questionable regulation.

During his time in the sport, “Fallen Angel” made a bit of a name for himself on the California regional scene and owns a few quality wins over UFC vets John Gunderson and David Kaplan, but his big break always remained just out of reach.

An Oakland resident, Robinson spent some time training at California’s American Kickboxing Academy, but it was well before the current glory days of the famed gym. Just before the team cracked into the spotlight, Robinson made a decision that still haunts him to this day.

“I was at AKA before AKA was big,” Robinson said. “Right when I left, Josh Koscheck joined. There was no Cain Velasquez or Luke Rockhold. But my loyalties led me in the wrong direction, which was leaving there with Frank Shamrock. That was a complete waste of time.”

And so Robinson remained largely self-trained and self-managed. He was a mainstay for several years in Lemoore, the revered launching ground of the WEC, and he fought for both Palace Fighting Championship and Tachi Palace Fights. When those promotions both folded, he landed a role with the Las Vegas-based Superior Cage Combat.

In February 2012, Robinson booked a match with Anderson Silva protege Paulo “Bananada” Goncalves Silva. A grueling three-round affair that featured heavy clinchwork and powerful striking exchanges, Robinson believed he had done enough to win the fight. Instead, his opponent was awarded a controversial decision, and many in attendance – including UFC President Dana White and Silva, himself – approached Robinson to offer their support.

“Anderson Silva, who I idolize, came up to me and said, ‘Hey, I’m sorry,’” Robinson recalled. “Then Dana White comes up and says, ‘Hey, you got f—ed.’ Everybody else in the back comes up to me and says, ‘You got screwed.’

“I’ve watched that fight a million times. I watched it all in slow motion – which took forever, might I add – and I got hit clean five times. I dropped the guy twice, and I still lost that fight. Then I go home, and I find out the aunt I was closest to died. That was my night. It was just bad.”

It would get worse.

Unbeknownst to all but the closest to him, Robinson had been fighting at significantly less than 100 percent. A years-old car wreck had left him with a spinal condition that was worsening by the day.

“My left arm basically just wasn’t working, but I hid it well,” Robinson said. “I was fighting basically as a one-armed fighter, and I didn’t know that it was because that accident had messed up my spine badly, and the training had caused it to degenerate more.”

And so Robinson sought out help for his condition. Fortunately, he found a doctor who said he could address the issue. Unfortunately, Robinson had no medical insurance and would foot the entire bill himself, to the tune of $50,000. The surgery was going to keep him on the shelf for a while, so Robinson decided to have his knee repaired, too. The two surgeries wiped out his life’s savings.

Robinson was cleared to return to fighting this past February, but he’s struggled to get a fight. Broken promises from a number of promoters, opponent’s bout agreements that go unsigned, fighters that pull out of a contest just days before it’s scheduled. Outside of the cage, Robinson is a single father, and he also helps to care for his grandmother, mother and sister.

All of those frustrating hurdles led Robinson to one thought: Maybe it’s time to call it a career.

Then something changed. Robinson ran into an old friend, current UFC light heavyweight contender Glover Teixeira, who also competed in California during the early days of his career.

“Way back in the day, Glover told me, ‘We can both be champions,’” Robinson said. “I saw him recently and just told him, ‘You’re going to do what you said we were both going to do very shortly, and I’m far from it. I’m thinking about quitting.’

“He sat down and had a cool talk with me at breakfast at a Bellator event, and I said, ‘All right, I’m going to stick around a little bit longer.’”

Fueled by a reinvigorated drive, Robinson has found a new training home at Combat Sports Academy, a Cesar Gracie affiliate school in Dublin, Calif. Now, he’s working on his game every day, attending practice sessions, studying tape, reading books on the sport, on philosophy, on life. He was close to walking away, but he believes there’s still time for one big break, and he’s hoping to hear the phone ring soon.

“I’ve struggled,” Robinson said. “I struggled to get fights. I struggled to find a place to train. I’ve struggled to find management. But now I feel like I’m in a good position. I gave up too much of my life, and I’m not a quitter. My pride is kicking in. It’s not even for love anymore. I want to prove people wrong.

“I’m not a UFC vet. I don’t come from a giant team. I don’t have Jon Jones saying, ‘Hey, this is the guy.’ But I’m not asking for anything for free. I just want an opportunity.”

(Pictured: Dominique Robinson and John Gunderson)